Prior to the disclosed invention, there was no comprehensive theory for using a portable device to shine shoes. Rather, shoes have been shined manually for hundreds of years. In the 1960's, larger machines that stood on the ground and were located in a central location. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,339,219 issued to Bast. Bast and its progeny teach that alternating current (AC) systems are necessary to shine shoes. However, AC systems are not as portable as direct current (DC) systems that are taught in the present invention.